Reborn Liverpool

Chapter 422 League Cup Final

Henderson's post-match speech unveiled the veil of the Zhangmai incident in Liverpool's refrigeration. The media in the UK was about to explode, and Liverpool fans even began to besiege the club's gate.

Under pressure, the club's top management reconvened an emergency meeting between Klopp and Klot, and finally determined that a salary increase is impossible, but the management hopes that the players will strictly abide by the contract, and the team's head coach must also take the team's performance as the first choice. .

In layman's terms, Zhang Mai can leave, but there must be a team willing to pay a transfer fee of more than 2 million euros, and Klopp does not need to suppress Zhang Mai's playing time as he did some time ago.

Once the final agreement was finalized, all three parties breathed a sigh of relief. Uncle Zha could continue to use Zhang Mai, and Croat could also operate Zhang Mai’s new journey in private. The management also maintained Liverpool’s “low salary and high salary” Excellent tradition, not to mention Zhang Mai's liquidated damages of 2 million euros.

Klopp next put Zhang Mai into the League Cup final start, and the club also held a press conference on Zhang Mai's absence.

The three giants Klopp, Liverpool general manager and Kroter showed up and introduced to the media that Zhang Mai was unwell after returning from the Asian Cup and missed several games afterwards.

As for Henderson's speech after the last round of the league, Klopp admitted that the team's recent performance has been poor, and the players are eager to hope that Zhang Mai can recover as soon as possible.

On February 2th, the 27-2018 English League Cup final was held at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool played against Manchester City. The top two in the league table once again staged a championship battle.

Wembley Stadium was crowded with people, and the fans of the two teams in the audience turned into fans of the two cities, waiting for the match between Liverpool and Manchester.

The big screen on the sidelines displayed the starting rosters of both sides:

Manchester City: (4-3-3)

Edson;
Otamendi, Walker, Laporte, Zinchenko;

David Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne;
Aguero, Sterling, Bernardo Silva.

Liverpool: (4-3-3)

Alisson;
Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Van Dijk, Robertson;
Henderson, Wijnaldum, Zhang Mai;

Salah, Firmino, Mane.

British domestic cups such as the League Cup, if it is considered dispensable to the rich teams, but when it comes to the finals, no one will not pay attention to it.

After all, no one thinks that he has too many championships, Guardiola who wants everything, or Klopp who specializes in the league and the Champions League.

Unsurprisingly, the two teams sent a full main lineup. Liverpool's Zhang Mai appeared in the forward position, and Manchester City just pushed Bernardo Silva to the forward line to replace the injured Jesus.

Both teams have adopted a 4-3-3 attacking formation, heralding a fierce battle at Wembley Stadium today.

The championship trophy of the League Cup is placed at the exit of the player tunnel. Players from both sides enter the field, and no one can't help but glance at it. The League Cup final is imminent.

At the beginning of the game, Liverpool took the lead in kicking off. Aguero and Jo Henderson, who were eager to grab the ball, both fell to the ground after an arc collision in the middle circle.

The game was suspended for about 2 minutes for this reason. After the kick-off again, the players of the two teams were still fighting together.

In the 10th minute, Maguire made a long pass from the back court to find Zhang Mai. Zhang Mai got the ball in the front court and made physical contact with Zinchenko and fell to the front of the penalty area. The referee ignored it.

"Nimma, is your body weak after not playing for a few days? It seems that I have to find a serious girlfriend!"

Zhang Mai complained secretly, then turned around and entered the fiery court.

Manchester City failed to show their passing qualities for a long time, but got entangled with the Red Army players. Guardiola couldn't sit still, and ran to the sidelines to direct the game in the 19th minute.

In the 22nd minute, Bernardo Silva cut in from the right side of the front court and made a pass with his left foot. Aguero stopped the ball on the left chest in the penalty area and volleyed with his right foot. The ball was slightly higher than the crossbar.

Liverpool still insisted on pressing high and counterattacking quickly. In the 25th minute, Wijnaldum made a cross from the right side of the front court and was knocked down by Zinchenko. The referee awarded Liverpool a free kick in the front court.

Zhang Mai took a free kick, and the ball accurately found Mane, who was going forward from the left, but Edson hugged Mane's header.

Two minutes later, Van Dijk made a long pass from the left side of the backcourt to find Salah, and the ball was confiscated by Ederson again.

In the 29th minute, Aguero got the ball from the front of the penalty area and dribbled a long shot with his right foot. The ball was confiscated by Alisson.

One minute later, Bernardo Silva got rid of Robertson's defense on the right side of the front court and was brought down by Maguire. The referee showed Maguire a yellow card.

In the 35th minute, De Bruyne made a pass from the right side of the front court, Sterling flew the header from the left side of the penalty area, Bernardo Silva made a header relay error, and the ball was cleared by Van Dijk.

On the Liverpool bench, Fabinho and Naby Keita sit in the two midfielders. The two who understand the cause of the dispute between Zhang Mai and the club are full of sorrow and joy.

In the 39th minute, Sterling broke through the left side of the front court and made a cross with his left foot near the bottom line. The ball was cleared by Maguire with a header.

In the 42nd minute, the linesman misjudged the ball to Manchester City in the backcourt of Liverpool. Robertson complained and yelled at the lineman, and finally stopped it under Zhang Mai's stop.

Near the end of the first half, the fighting atmosphere on the field has not diminished at all, but the situation has become more and more intense.

In the 43rd minute, Zinchenko made a long pass from the left side of the front court with his left foot. Otamendi fell to the ground and shot from behind. The ball was weak under the interference of Arnold and was easily confiscated by Alisson.

Two minutes later, it was Liverpool's turn to attack. Salah swayed continuously on the left side of the penalty area to get out of the gap with a low shot with his right foot. The ball was blocked by Ederson with his foot.

In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Mane dropped a free kick from the right side of the front court into the penalty area. Fernandinho made a header to clear the top, and the ball hit Otamendi's head and almost had an own goal.

In the first half of the game, both sides tried their best and failed to break through the opponent's goal. In the end, Manchester City drew 0-0 with Liverpool.

After the intermission, the two sides changed sides and fought again. In the 46th minute, Laporte was injured and fell to the ground while fighting for a header with Zhang Mai. Manchester City replaced Laporte by Kompany.

Two minutes later, Sterling got rid of the defense from the left side of the frontcourt, broke through the bottom line and made a cross with his left foot. Van Dijk made a header from the center to make a clearance.

In the 52nd minute, Kompany, who had just played, made a mistake in passing the ball in the backcourt, and the ball went directly out of the sideline.

One minute later, Zhang Mai broke into the penalty area to pass the ball from the left side of the front court, but was cut off by Otamendi.

Manchester City immediately launched a counterattack. After the two sides fought in the midfield, De Bruyne made a long pass into the penalty area, and Henderson and Otamendi fell to the ground while fighting for a header.

In the 56th minute, Manchester City made a corner kick from the right side of the front court. The ball was headed out by Maguire. David Silva volleyed with his left foot from the front of the penalty area. Aguero got the ball in the penalty area and turned around and scored.

Before the Argentine striker got up to celebrate, the linesman signaled that Aguero was offside first and the goal was invalid.

Guardiola and the players on the Manchester City bench went to the referee to protest, but were yelled back to their seats by the fourth referee.

Klopp, who was going to be tit-for-tat, gave up as soon as he saw it, and flattered the fourth referee, so it was a slip!

In the 56th minute, Fernandinho made a mistake in stopping the ball, Zhang Mai succeeded in stealing the ball, and Fernandinho received a yellow card for a foul.

"Damn! Go back to Asia and your body will become Asian, even a South American ⊙Θ..."

Zhang Mai got up from the ground cursing, eager to compete with Manchester City, but the South American ran away like a rabbit.

In the 59th minute, Robertson shot directly from a free kick with his right foot, and the ball was slightly higher than the crossbar.

"I have to work harder! The Scottish firecrackers, or else don't say that I taught set kicks when you go out in the future!"

Zhang Mai knew that his time in the Red Army was running out, so he deliberately practiced the goal-breaking kicks of Arnold and Robertson during the training.

In the 66th minute, Liverpool quickly counterattacked. Zhang Mai sent a long pass over the top in the midfield. Mane got the ball from the left side of the front field and broke into the penalty area to knock back.

The Egyptians are extremely incompatible with England's No. [-] stadium. In Zhang Mai's memory, Salah has never scored an opponent's goal at Wembley Stadium.

In the 71st minute, Wijnaldum transferred a long pass from the right side of the front court, Mane got the ball from the left side of the front court and cut inward, Firmino got the ball from the left side of the penalty area and shot the ball with his right foot into the far corner The ball goes wide of the goal.

After being pressed and attacked by Liverpool for more than 10 minutes, Manchester City also recovered and launched a counterattack amidst the shouts of melons on the sidelines.

In the 72nd minute, Manchester City quickly counterattacked. De Bruyne drove straight in with the ball. Henderson fouled. Dick is shown the yellow card.

So far, both of Liverpool's central defenders have received yellow cards. Zhang Mai and captain Henderson had to retreat to strengthen the protection of the central defenders.

The game restarted, Zhang Mai, Salah, and Mane formed a human wall. De Bruyne shot directly from a free kick with his right foot, and the ball went directly above the crossbar.

In the 76th minute, Zhang Mai broke through in the midfield and split the sides. Salah made a cross from the right side of the front court with his right foot. The ball was destroyed by Manchester City players and went out of the baseline.

Zhang Mai signaled Arnold to take a corner kick. The corner kick from the newly promoted King of England on the right rushed directly to the goal, hit the crossbar and flew straight out of the baseline.

In the 87th minute, Wijnaldum got the ball from the right side of the front court and turned around and was brought down by Zinchenko. Then Arnold's free kick hit the wall and popped out.

In the 88th minute, Manchester City quickly counterattacked. Sterling dribbled the ball in the middle of the front court and was knocked down by Zhang Mai. The referee showed Zhang Mai a yellow card.

Uncle Zha loudly protested the referee's penalty on the sidelines. You must know that the Red Army players on the field have already received four yellow cards, but fortunately they will not be brought into the league.

The fourth referee on the sidelines ignored Klopp and played a timing card for 6 minutes of stoppage time.

In the 91st minute, Mane dribbled the ball straight from the front court. Salah got the ball and was tackled to the ground by Otamendi. The referee showed Otamendi a yellow card.

Klopp on the sidelines immediately shut up, and Guardiola on the side immediately complained about the referee.

In the 92nd minute, Salah shot directly from a free kick with his right foot, and the ball was taken off the crossbar by Ederson with a single palm.

In the 94th minute, Liverpool counterattacked quickly. Firmino got the ball in the frontcourt and formed a single-handedly.

In the 95th minute, Fernandinho was injured and Manchester City played one less player for the time being, but the game will end soon.

In the end, Manchester City drew 0-0 with Liverpool in regular time, and the two teams had to enter extra time.

Players from both teams were not allowed to leave the field, so Uncle Zha and Guardiola had to enter the field in person to arrange tactics and teach their respective players face-to-face instructions.

The extra time is about to start, the Liverpool team gathers to cheer, and the Manchester City players on the other side of the field also shouted in unison.

In the 93rd minute of overtime, Zinchenko made a pass back, and Gundogan cut in from the left side of the frontcourt and shot with his right foot. The ball was lightly dragged by Alisson over the crossbar.

In the 99th minute, Zhang Mai knocked across the right side of the front court, Arnold picked a pass with his right foot, Salah swept the goal with his right foot in the penalty area, and the ball was hugged sideways by Ederson.

Liverpool's team formation began to press forward, forming a siege to Manchester City for a while.

In the 101st minute, Henderson hit the ball on the right side of the penalty area, and Robertson shot wide with his right foot from the front of the penalty area.

Shortly after halftime of extra time, Liverpool still drew 0-0 with Manchester City.

In the second half of overtime, the two teams changed sides and fought again. In the 110th minute, Sterling got rid of the defense on the right side of the frontcourt and broke into the bottom line of the penalty area. Aguero pushed the ball and the ball was saved by the brave Alisson.

"Okay! Becker, the penalty kick is stable."

Zhang Mai ran over to give the Brazilian goalkeeper a high-five to congratulate, and also gave him a dose of motivational chicken soup.

In the 117th minute of extra time, Manchester City quickly counterattacked. Aguero shot from the front of the penalty area with his right foot. The ball was saved sideways by Alisson.

"666!"..."Becker is great!"...

Zhang Mai, who was still near the center line and had no time to return to help, sent another wave of boosters...

But chicken soup can only be chicken soup forever, it is impossible to pour out a fighting chicken!

In the 119th minute of extra time, there was chaos in front of Liverpool's goal again. The Brazilian goalkeeper who caught the ball was injured and fell to the ground...

Klopp hurriedly arranged for Pickford to warm up on the sidelines, just kidding, there will be a penalty shootout to decide the championship waiting.

Time finally ran out to the end of overtime. Alisson stood up and raised his hand to indicate that he could continue the game. Pickford was waiting on the sidelines with a look of confusion. Klopp quickly explained the situation to Pickford. It was obvious that even if Injury, Alisson does not want to end.

Alisson's temporary addition turned the already tense game scene into a moment of ignorance and joy. Of course, it was embarrassing for Liverpool.

Because Alisson refused to leave the field, Liverpool coach Klopp hurriedly communicated with the referee, while Zhang Mai dragged Alisson's arm to the bench.

After dismissing the referee, Klopp was furious with Alisson's decision, and was about to swear at the Brazilian goalkeeper. When he turned around, he saw Alisson sitting on the bench obediently, and Pickford had also run away. towards the goal.

"Zhang Mai is right. The champion of the League Cup is far inferior to the anger of uncle scum. The Germans are not big-minded."

The Liverpool management is comforting Alisson, who is physically and mentally strong, but Klopp feels that there is always something wrong when he listens...

After 120 minutes, it was a 0-0 draw, and the two sides had to enter a brutal penalty shootout, at which point all techniques and tactics were useless.

In the first round of the penalty shootout, Liverpool sent Robertson:
Robertson jumped up suddenly at the run-up to deceive Edson. Edson did not hesitate to save the ball sideways, and Manchester City's Gundogan made a penalty kick. Liverpool 0-1 Manchester City.

In the second round, Van Dijk calmly pushed the far corner and hit. Manchester City played Aguero. The Argentine striker's penalty kick was saved by Pickford. It hit the post and missed the bottom line. Liverpool tied 1-1 Manchester City.

Robert, who missed the first round of free throws, raised his arms and shouted, his pale face was a little bloody, while Aguero bowed his head and returned to the middle circle.

In the third round, Salah made a steady penalty kick, Sane scored a penalty kick, the ball was bravely saved by Pickford, and Liverpool led Manchester City 2-1.

In the fourth round, Liverpool Mane played a penalty kick. Although the ball tricked the goalkeeper but was rejected by the post, Bernardo Silva then scored a penalty kick. Liverpool drew again with Manchester City 2-2.

In the fifth round, Zhang Maishao hit a penalty kick on behalf of Liverpool, 3-2!The pressure has all shifted to the Manchester City side.

The audience was silent, Sterling representing Manchester City took the last penalty in the first round, the happy boy was really happy, and he handed over the League Cup champion with an anti-aircraft gun.

In the end, Liverpool defeated Manchester City 3-2 in a penalty shootout to win the League Cup and also avenged their loss in the 21st round.

After the game, the Manchester City players who lost the championship trophy were a little lonely. Guardiola shook hands with the Manchester City fans and smiled. Only the happy boy Sterling was busy exchanging jerseys with Zhang Mai.

Klopp, who won the trophy, embraced and celebrated with his players, and Alisson and Pickford also danced to celebrate.

In the end, all Liverpool players came to the stage to accept the award. The players held up the Carabao Cup and shouted "Long live Liverpool!".

"Liverpool seems to have returned to the invincible appearance last year. Zhang Mai's return is undoubtedly the biggest reason, but I don't know if Zhang Mai's happy smile will be seen in the Red Army next season?"

The "Echo" lamented so much in the report after the game, and obviously also knew something about Zhang Mai's entanglement with the club some time ago.

(End of this chapter)